Inside Austin Art Garage with Joel Ganucheau

“Art has been in my bones since I was a boy,” shares Joel Ganucheau, painter and co-owner of Austin Art Garage.

Since then art has been a consistent foundation for him. In 2007, Joel and Jake Bryer, a composite photographer and friend of Joel’s since middle school, opened Austin Art Garage with the goal to make art more accessible to a wider demographic, while showcasing talented local Austin artists.

What hardships did you experience when first opening?

No one knew about us. We did everything we could imagine to gain exposure without business loans or advertising campaigns by using guerrilla marketing techniques. We hosted a ton of art shows, happy hours and parties in our gallery and other pop-up locations all over town. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it. Getting people to our website and through our gallery doors has always been a huge goal for us.

How is Art Garage different from other galleries?

We separate ourselves from other galleries by having a friendly, funky, welcoming space that’s off the beaten path. We always have something for everyone. We have small poster prints for $20, large original paintings for $2,000 and everything in between. Our website
is updated daily and is very transparent. Each art piece has a clear description including the
price, dimensions, and medium.

“It has always been our mission to carry 100% locally handmade art.”

How can artists get their work in Art Garage?

We have a submissions page on our website. Our gallery is not very big, so we have to be pretty selective about our choices but we always keep our eyes open for talented artists
out there.

Does the art change often?

We get new art every week. Each artist works at their own pace and we work with around 30 artists.

What’s next?

Good question! With all of the changes on South Lamar Jake and I have a strong feeling that we will need to find a new gallery space within the next year or two. This is very exciting to me, since it probably means that we will get a larger space. We have always been busting at the seams and change is good. There is definitely a need for more art
studio complexes in this city. There are so many people moving to Austin every day, and I only hope that they will embrace our culture and love of art as much as I do.

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